Ice Age: The Waiting Game
by Diegorules483
Summary: Sequel to Softie's Best Christmas Present.Shira is pregnant and the herd eagerly awaits the new arrivals! But adventure and drama follows them everywhere they go! There will be old and new friends found, romance discovered, and old enemies hungry for vengeance! Rated K for romance and standard Ice Age action and violence. DiegoxShira and some LouisxPeaches. Please review! :D
1. Scrat's Rematch

_It was a beautiful morning in the newly formed continent of North America. The sun shone down on the thick redwood forests of the western coast. The giant trees towered hundreds of feet into the air, overshadowing every other tree that dared to grow in their domain. _

_Colourful birds swooped from branch to branch, singing sweetly as they flew. Deer grazed peacefully in grassy clearings. _

_And trudging along a forest path was a small, skinny, striped sabre-tooth squirrel._

* * *

_Scrat slowly made his way along the forest pathway. His shoulders were slumped and his head hung down in misery. Since the sinking of the mythical island of Scratlantis and the accidental formation of the great Mojave Desert, the starving squirrel had journeyed across dry plains and high rocky mountains to the lush redwood forests of the Western Coast – formally an archipelago of islands – on his search for his most precious, most beloved object in the whole world: an acorn._

_Yet he had found nothing. Small berries from bushes on the plains had sustained him, but he craved acorns. Life meant nothing to him without his precious nuts._

_Suddenly, Scrat's nose caught a whiff of something floating in the air. The squirrel lifted his nose up to the air and sniffed. He knew that smell. _

_Quickly, he scampered along the forest path, his nose tracking the faint scent that drifted lazily through the air. _

_Finally, Scrat came to the edge of a large creek. Just across the rushing pathway of water was a small hill. On top of that mound of earth was a tall, proud oak tree. And lying on the ground next to the oak tree was a big, shining, ripe acorn!_

_Scrat let out a cry of delight. __Quickly, he hopped across a set of conveniently-located stepping stones to the opposite bank. Then he scrambled up to the top of the hill…only to find that the acorn was gone!_

_Scrat screamed in despair. Sniffing frantically, he scrambled around on the ground, searching desperately for his acorn…_

_BUMP_

_The sabre-tooth squirrel suddenly tripped over something lying on the ground. Picking himself up, he whirled around to see what had caused him to fall._

_It was a tail. _

_A long, furry tail with luscious red fur. _

_And that tail was attached to a slim, beautiful, red-furred squirrel…_

_It was Scratte._

* * *

_She whipped around and glared at Scrat. Obviously she wasn't pleased to see him. After all, he had ditched her and left her in a dangerous, dinosaur-filled cavern several years ago. _

_Scrat wasn't exactly happy to see her either, but for different reasons. She had stolen his acorn multiple times, ripped off all his chest fur, kicked him, punched out a tooth, etc etc…the list went on and on. _

_And in her arms, Scrat could see the acorn he had so desperately needed. She had taken his prize for labouring across a merciless desert with barely any food or water. _

_He saw red. _

_Screaming, he lunged at Scratte, his skinny arms outstretched to grab the acorn off her. But the sly, foxy squirrel quickly side-stepped out of the way, and Scrat face-planted on the ground. _

_Scratte smirked and loped away, brushing Scrat's head with her tail before she disappeared around the tree._

_That was the final straw. _

_Picking himself up, Scrat launched himself at the foxy squirrel, knocking her to the ground and sending the acorn flying into the air. _

_Scrat leaped off Scratte, chasing the acorn as it tumbled towards the ground…and caught it. _

_But just as he hugged his prize to his chest, Scrat saw a red blur rushing towards him. Before he could get out of the way, Scratte slammed into him, pushing him over the edge of a nearby cliff. _

_Down, down, down they fell, tussling, wrestling, fighting over the acorn.._

_...until they finally landed with a loud splash into the pool of water at the bottom._

* * *

**Yes, Scratte returns! I think she's so cool as an nemesis for Scrat so I thought it would be cool to bring her back. :)**

**Please review if you like it!**


	2. Week 5: Reflections

Shira's POV

Three weeks have passed since Christmas. It might as well have been three _hours_, though. It really doesn't seem that long since I announced to the heard that I was pregnant. Only a few things tell me that time has passed: that all the Christmas decorations have been taken down, that every last candy cane has been eaten – except Lornook, the hyrax druid's one. He uses it as a new walking stick, and Crash and Eddie have tried to eat it on several occasions – and that my stomach has started to swell a bit. Everybody can now see that I am pregnant .

On the plus side, I feel just as well as I did before pregnancy. No more nausea and no more puking. Plus I don't have to eat the peppermint herbs anymore. They were so strong that sometimes I thought my mouth was on fire. I hated that.

But I still feel uneasy, even though my pre-pregnancy health has returned. I can't stop thinking about the imminent reality of motherhood. I've never even _thought_ about the idea of having cubs.

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure if I'll be a good mother or not. After all, I did spend several years as a ruthless, heartless pirate out at sea. And I have absolutely _no clue_ on how to care for them. What if I hurt them, or worse…?

* * *

That's why I'm here, up at the top of a tall hill overlooking the beautiful forested landscape of our new home. I thought the tranquillity and beauty up here would sooth my worried thoughts.

I was wrong. They haven't changed one bit.

So here I am, sitting on a hilltop, alone with my thoughts. Sighing, I lay down, staring out at the sun as it slowly sinks towards the horizon…

_Rustle rustle_

My ears prick up. Someone – or something – is coming through the bushes towards me. I jump around, ready to defend myself from this stranger…

…but it isn't a stranger at all. It is somebody I know very, very well. It is a green-eyed, tawny-furred sabre that pokes his head through the bushes…

The face of Diego. My mate.

I relax as he enters the hilltop clearing. "Hey, Softie!"

"Hey, Shira," he smiles.

He gently nuzzles me, the way he always does when he greets me. I nuzzle him back, licking him fondly behind the ears. His loud, contented purring fills my ears.

He has always loved that. What a Softie he is.

Diego lays down in the soft grass, facing towards the spectacular sunset vista. I snuggle up into his smooth orange fur.

"Nice view," he comments.

Then I remember why I'm here. My thoughts, which had evaporated with my mate's arrival, hit me like an avalanche.

I sigh.

Instantly, Diego looks around at me, his eyes wide with concern.

Drat. He heard me.

"Shira, what's wrong?" he asks.

"Nothing," I say quickly, trying to cover up my mistake.

Diego give me a look. "Shira, we've been together for months now. If we're mates then why can't we be honest with each other?"

I look away from him, afraid to tell him what I'm thinking. But he's right, I must admit. If we're mates then we should be able to trust each other with our thoughts and secrets.

"I'm not sure I'll be a good mother," I say bluntly.

"What?!" Diego splutters. "Shira, that's absurd! What on earth makes you think you'll be a bad mother?"

"I spent years on a pirate ship at sea!" I point out. "I was taught to be cruel, heartless, and to show no mercy! But now here I am in a situation which requires the very opposites of the things I was taught: love and kindness!" I look back at him. "I've never dealt with cubs in my life. I'm not sure I'll know what to do. What if I hurt them?"

"Wouldn't your pack have given you at least some advice?" Diego asks. "I mean, you did have a mother, right? And it's not like there aren't female sabres in a pack."

I look away again, awful memories welling up inside me. "Don't talk to me about my pack."

"Why not?"

"They hated me. Because of my fur colour. They thought I was a curse, a burden to them. They always teased me and rejected me. I was forced to fend for myself. Nobody ever helped me, let alone explain pregnancy or cubs to me. I was lucky to be allowed just to _live _with them!"

Diego looks shocked. "Why would anybody want to do that? Reject you just because you looked different? Shira, your fur colour is what makes you look beautiful. I wouldn't want you any other way."

I smile, touched by his words. "You really think that?"

"Absolutely."

"Thanks, Diego."

Diego returns my smile. "And don't worry. When the time comes, you should know what to do. Motherly instinct."

I still feel uneasy, though, despite his assurance. "But if I don't…?"

"Shira, we're a herd. We always have each other's backs, no matter what. We'll always help each other. Ellie will give you tips. She dealt fine with Peaches, _and_ she spent half her life thinking she was a _possum_."

I smile hopefully, my worries fading away with every passing second. "So everything's going to be alright?"

"We'll always be there for you, Shira. Especially me."

I smirk. "You know, you're a bigger Softie than I ever thought."

Diego grins. "I still happen to be an assassin! Don't you forget that, Kitty."

"Don't worry," I purr, snuggling back into him. "I don't intend to, Softie."

He smiles, resting his head on my shoulder. Together, we look out across our beautiful new home and out to the sparkling ocean, as the sun slowly slides below the horizon.

* * *

**First proper chapter up! Bit short, but the others should be longer!**

**Yep, I gave Shira a reason to leave her pack. Don't you think it's cruel that they're rejecting her just because of her fur colour? :(**

**Please review!**


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